The Gaming News Thread

[Husar]

Since the regions are only US and UK, can I buy from the US?
(since 3,425 = 5 = 5,721 !)

Oh wait, they're countryists anyway: "This title is available for purchase in the US, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom only."

[frogbeastegg]

There's a great deal in the UK version of the sale. X-COM complete bundle, was 95p, now £5!


Oops, forgot what I came here to post. LucasArts have revealed the new game they have been teasing us with. Lucidity, a side scrolling 2D platform puzzle game.

[Monk]

So a serious post from me here. Never thought you'd see that did you?

Did you know it's been close to twenty years since Wolfenstein 3D hit the scene back in '92? Yep. That masterpiece that (many claim) completely redefined the FPS genre and paved the way for modern classics. Sure doesn't look like much today, but back then it was the game.

You may have heard about its contemporary incarnation, and how the developers ain't doing so hot. Apparently the sales for Wolfenstein are absolutely abysmal and missed the Top Ten software for the month of August by a mile.*

So what to make of all this news of layoffs, poor sales and mediocre reviews? That maybe sometimes we should let sleeping franchises lie. A shame too, I really loved RTCW.



*I mean really. beaten by Fossil Fighters? Ouch.

[Greyblades]

Bethesda is peeved.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

It may make sense from a cutthroat business persepective in the short term, but that's pretty damning evidence that they don't care at all about the original Fallout games. Hopefully it comes back to bite them.

[Monk]

A really strange and disturbing turn of events. To be told "You're in breach of contract" for profiting from the IP you originally created. You can read a little bit more background from the Fallout Wikia's article on Interplay.

It may make sense from a cutthroat business persepective in the short term, but that's pretty damning evidence that they don't care at all about the original Fallout games. Hopefully it comes back to bite them.

It makes sense, they(Bethesda) bought full rights to the Fallout franchise (and paid a lot of money for it) and expect to be in control of that IP. It looks like Interplay has been cutting them out of the loop which is not at all cool, and from a little research it looks like things have been brewing since April.

We'll see how things turn out, but it doesn't look good for Interplay.

[Greyblades]

Blogger called to court for bad Evony preview.

[Meneldil]

Wow, people working around Evony should be put to death right now. It's even more ridiculous than I thought.

Some comments on a Gardian article explain how some guy complained to the company about receiving 100+ evony spams a day. The guy working for evony basically told him to stfu and not even start threatening them.

[Veho Nex]

Im loling hard at evony, they are more likely than not going to lose customers in the long run and maybe get a few bucks from that guy. I feel bad for him though, tough to fight a court case based in another country.

[Meneldil]

That is retard. Unfortunately I don't remember my law courses, but I'm pretty sure they have to have some real reason to sue him in Australia.
From what I understood, Evony servers are based in the US, the company that runs it is a branch of a chinese company, and is located in the US as well. The whole Australian thingy has no ground I'd say.

You can't just fill a paper, send it to a lawer office in a far away country and have them sue someone on another continent. There are some very strict laws as to what country is competent in what case. An australian court has absolutely no legitimacy to have a say in the matter.

[Greyblades]

Huh it seems that headlines blaming violence on video games sells more papers.

[Martok]

Huh it seems that headlines blaming violence on video games sells more papers.

And in other news, it was discovered that water is wet.

[Monk]

After endless baiting and switching, Capcom finally let the cat out of the bag. A brand new, stand-alone SF4 game is confirmed, named humorously "Super Street fighter 4".

The game promises 8 new characters as well as a rebalancing patch to the original roster based on community suggestions. Capcom promises they won't be pushing this at full price, but that remains to be seen. It's on Schedule for a Spring 2010 release.


Bad news for any of us who were hoping to catch some frags in demo-land before the Modern Warfare 2 release in a month and a half. Infinity Ward has revealed they have no plans for a demo, despite CoD4 having one (one that was quite good i might add). IF claims this is so they can devote more time to polish, and their track record is good in that regard. We'll see.


Finally: the PSPgo has been getting a lot of headlines as I'm sure you've seen. What has me most intrigued is the complete lack of physical media, it seems to be all digital. Of course, that has the potential for huge drawbacks. It is entirely dependent on the an internet connection (WiFi specifically) for purchases and playing. But it also seems to boast a plug + play ability with your PC, so you can hook up and download directly from the PSN that way. If it works it could be a very interesting step in portables.

The main downside of the PSPgo currently... it looks to retail at $250 USD, which is a full hundred more than its rival the DS( according to prices at Amazon, for a brand new DSi) Heck, for that price i could almost get a PS3 slim! As kotaku points out, Sony is looking to completely cut out the retailer with an all digital games library, you'd think they could cut us a break with that in mind!

[Husar]

If it works it could be a very interesting step in portables.

iPhone AppStore?!

The difference being that iPhone users didn't already have hundreds of now-useless physical discs lying around that they paid for.

[Monk]

The difference being that iPhone users didn't already have hundreds of now-useless physical discs lying around that they paid for.

That's what made the news significant, at least to me. Sony is going to completely change gears and go for full digital media - personally I think it's a bad move for the very reason you point out. It could work, and it'll be really interesting to see in action, but backwards compatibility is about to take another for the team.

[frogbeastegg]

The physical design of the PSP Go sums the entire concept up for me nicely. It looks pretty and shiny - until you notice that the shiny, vulnerable screen slides down to protect the buttons, and that the analogue nub is placed in the centre so you will kill your hands if you try to use it. My PSP 1000 already hurts my hands and the screen has picked up some minor scuff marks despite my taking the utmost loving care of it at all times.

PSP Go is not there to be played. It's there to be seen and act as a brand name "look what I got" toy. Problem: the Playstation brand has taken a sharp nosedive in recent years and the PSP never achieved superstar or must have status.

As for the price, it's nearly as much as a PS3 slim. £229.99 here in the UK. Insanity!

[Meneldil]

There's a growing uproar about CitiesXL.

First, to fully play the game, people has to pay a monthly fee (about 8$/month). This will allow them to receive additional content, to play online, but also to buy expensive DLC (or GEM, as they call them).

For example, the game won't be shipped with any mass/public transport system: no subway, no buses, no train. That by itself is quite retard for a city builder.
Then, buses will supposedly be made available around christmas, through a 'free' update. The free update will require you to pay the monthly fee. So, the 'free update' is actually not free at all. Thus, people who don't pay monthly won't be able to get buses, trains or any new content for that matter.
Then, a bit later (release date is set to mid-january as of now), people will be able to get one of the DLC/GEM, namely the ski GEM (which allows you to build ski stations).

If you thought MMO's were bad, I introduce you to the new generation of ripoff.

Furthermore, the beta has been quite a failure apparently. Beta testers said the game was bland, uninteresting, and that the 'MMO' part of it (people were supposed to build towns on a planet, trade and interact with eachothers) is inexistant.
To me, it looks like Monte Christo tried to make a cash-cow city builder aimed at casual gamers. Unfortunately, CityBuilder games mostly cater to a specific kind of gamers who have little interest in shiny graphics and DLC.

More infos here

[TinCow]

World of Goo is on sale this week for... whatever you want to pay for it. I think that qualifies it as a 'budget' release. Haven't played it before, but given the reviews and the fact you can get it for $1, or even less if that's your inclination, it's probably worth looking into.

[Monk]

World of Goo is on sale this week for... whatever you want to pay for it. I think that qualifies it as a 'budget' release. Haven't played it before, but given the reviews and the fact you can get it for $1, or even less if that's your inclination, it's probably worth looking into.

One of the best indie games I ever played. Definitely worth more than $1 of your money, but that's not for me to judge.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I sent them ten bucks, but apparently demand has melted their server and I can't get their homepage to load anymore.

[Meneldil]

I've been told the game has been downloaded and hacked pretty much all over the internet, which led them to adopt this "pay as much as you want" stance rather than charge 20bucks for the game. Is it true?

I've never heard of it before, but all the reviews make it clear it's pretty awesome. I might give then ten buck for their hard work.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

They have a demo, I'd give it a whirl first but the game is fantastic. It was (at least according to them) 82% pirated (there are criticisms of the methodology used to get that number I think, but either way it was widely pirated). They didn't have any DRM so there wasn't any hacking involved.

The current "pay what you want" is both to get some money out of pirates who feel bad but also because it's their 1st year anniversary and it's a good marketing/sales promo thing. I don't think that it's permanent, and the price will go back to $20 USD.

[Martok]

Paradox has released a partial upcoming release schedule. I've highlighted those titles that I suspect will be of particular interest to those here:


Download only
• Elven Legacy: Ranger, Oct 20, 2009
• East India Company: Privateer, Oct 27, 2009
• For the Glory (A Europa Universalis game), Nov 10, 2009
• Elven Legacy: Siege, Nov 17, 2009
• Elven Legacy: Magic, Dec 1, 2009
• Arsenal of Democracy (A Hearts of Iron game), Dec 8, 2009
• EU III: Heir to the Throne, Dec 15, 2009
• Fort Zombie, Q4 2009
Retail and download
• Mount & Blade Warband, March 19, 2010
• Ship Simulator Extremes, Q2, 2010
• Victoria 2, Q2, 2010


I'm a little confused by the "download only" reference. While I could perhaps understand that for EU3's Heir to the Throne expansion, surely Paradox is going to be selling Victoria 2 -- an entirely new game -- at retail as well?

[Tratorix]

I'm a little confused by the "download only" reference. While I could perhaps understand that for EU3's Heir to the Throne expansion, surely Paradox is going to be selling Victoria 2 -- an entirely new game -- at retail as well?

Well, Victoria sold quite poorly, so the sequel is basically a present to their fans who liked the first game. It kind of makes sense to try to limit their costs by making it download only. Of course this is just speculation on my part.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Vicky 2 is under "Download and retail" so I suspect it is both.

Mildly interested in Fort Zombie because it's being made by the people who made Sword of the Stars.

[Monk]

My god. This year has been such a great one for gaming, last year seems to pale in comparison. I was afraid Heir to the Throne might slip to Jan but it's good to see it's coming in Dec.

[TinCow]

I am both intrigued and repulsed by this news:

Sid Meier Announces 'Civilization Network' For Facebook

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Civilization creator Sid Meier said this week that he and his 2K-owned studio, Firaxis, are working on a project dubbed "Civilization Network," a rendition of the strategy game for Facebook, due in 2010.

The announcement comes after the most recent franchise entry, Civilization Revolution, a turn-based strategy game that appeared on consoles and handhelds that streamlined the traditional PC-derived hardcore Civilization experience.

"I wanted to let you know we’ll soon be looking for beta testers to help us develop a unique new way to play Civilization," wrote Meier on the CivFanatics.com forum on Wednesday. "Ever since we finished Civilization Revolution last year, I’ve been looking at ways of expanding the Civ gameplay experience to include solo, competitive and cooperative play to take advantage of the uniqueness of social networks."

By creating a game for the social network Facebook, Meier and Firaxis are tapping into an audience that boasts 300 million accounts. It would be the first time that Firaxis enters the social gaming space, which is dominated by companies such as Zynga (Farmville), PlayFish (Pet Society), and Playdom (Sorority Life).

Like typical Facebook games, Civilization Network will be free-to-play, although Meier did not reveal any monetization methods, which may or may not include virtual item buys and advertising.

The full game is due to launch next year, preceded by a closed beta coming "soon." Firaxis has already set up a Facebook page for the game at www.Facebook.com/civnetwork.

Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis, gave more details about the upcoming game: "Civilization Network will allow you to join together with your friends to create the world’s most powerful, richest, smartest, or just plain coolest civilization."

"You can coordinate your strategy to win great battles, share your technology to jump ahead of your rivals, lobby your family and friends to form your own government and win vital elections, manage and grow your cities to maximize production and happiness, spy on your enemies, and work with your friends to create the great Wonders of the World."

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...hp?story=25747

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I'm trying to think of a clever way to combine two metaphors for this situation. With this game Sid Meier can basically print money. The game is also likely to be as addictive as cocaine.

A little help here?

[Greyblades]

Crack's cheaper?
Its enviromentaly friendly as it uses hemp in the bills instead of paper?

[al Roumi]

I am both intrigued and repulsed by this news:

Sid Meier Announces 'Civilization Network' For Facebook

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Civilization creator Sid Meier said this week that he and his 2K-owned studio, Firaxis, are working on a project dubbed "Civilization Network," a rendition of the strategy game for Facebook, due in 2010.

The announcement comes after the most recent franchise entry, Civilization Revolution, a turn-based strategy game that appeared on consoles and handhelds that streamlined the traditional PC-derived hardcore Civilization experience.

"I wanted to let you know we’ll soon be looking for beta testers to help us develop a unique new way to play Civilization," wrote Meier on the CivFanatics.com forum on Wednesday. "Ever since we finished Civilization Revolution last year, I’ve been looking at ways of expanding the Civ gameplay experience to include solo, competitive and cooperative play to take advantage of the uniqueness of social networks."

By creating a game for the social network Facebook, Meier and Firaxis are tapping into an audience that boasts 300 million accounts. It would be the first time that Firaxis enters the social gaming space, which is dominated by companies such as Zynga (Farmville), PlayFish (Pet Society), and Playdom (Sorority Life).

Like typical Facebook games, Civilization Network will be free-to-play, although Meier did not reveal any monetization methods, which may or may not include virtual item buys and advertising.

The full game is due to launch next year, preceded by a closed beta coming "soon." Firaxis has already set up a Facebook page for the game at www.Facebook.com/civnetwork.

Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis, gave more details about the upcoming game: "Civilization Network will allow you to join together with your friends to create the world’s most powerful, richest, smartest, or just plain coolest civilization."

"You can coordinate your strategy to win great battles, share your technology to jump ahead of your rivals, lobby your family and friends to form your own government and win vital elections, manage and grow your cities to maximize production and happiness, spy on your enemies, and work with your friends to create the great Wonders of the World."

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...hp?story=25747

My main concern is that if it's anything like Spore, which literaly anyone can play, it's not going to be much good for serious play.